Get Your Diploma at Sangria University at Coronado Springs

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

July 27, 2023

 

Between my husband, my kids, and myself, we have a total of 14 diplomas under our belts. What we didn’t have was a diploma from Sangria University at Three Bridges Bar and Grill at Disney’s Coronado Springs. We set out to remedy that situation a few weekends ago. And it was a blast!

Three Bridges Bar and Grill is one of our favorite haunts at Disney World, and it serves as your open-air classroom for this interactive, 90-minute workshop. Three Bridges is located in the center of Lago Dorado at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, with beautiful views of the lake and a cool breeze coming through the venue.

Sangria University is relatively inexpensive on the Disney scale, with a $59.00 fee for each participant.  (While the class is designed for those 21 and over, kids are welcome and will get a non-alcoholic version of the set-up, but the kids will pay full price. Sooooo, probably best to find an alternate activity for them. They aren’t going to find the lesson nearly as interesting as you will.)   

 

The $59.00 “tuition” might seem a little pricey at first, but considering that your starter flight is the same flight that is on the regular Three Bridges evening menu for $22.00, and you also get a plate of the house-made guac and chips (which usually runs $12.00 on the bar’s menu), and you also get the fixings for creating your own personalized libation, the class is a pretty good deal. Plus, it is enormously fun.

When you check in at Three Bridges for your class, you’ll be escorted to your preassigned table, where you’ll find your supplies for Sangria University already set-up for you, including your flight of sangria, ingredients for your custom sangria, and snacks. When everyone has arrived, your “Sangria Professor” will take over, sharing the history of sangria and imparting some fun lessons on the beverage creation process, and teaching you about the different flavor profiles, alcohols, and their origins in your included sangria flight.  (With a little tie-in to Disney history as well!)

In case you don’t know much about sangria heading into the class, you’ll start out enjoying a selection of varied choices that your “Sangria Professor” will walk through with you, describing their compositions and pedigrees along the way.  There are four sangrias in the curated flight offered on the Three Bridges restaurant menu, and you’ll receive all four of those selections during your class, including:

 

• Espumoso (Sparkling) Sangria: Freixenet Blanc de Blancs Brut Cava, Peach Liqueur, and Lemon.

• Blanco (White) Sangria: Macabeo Wine, Torres Magdala Naranjas del Mediterráneo, St. Germain Elderflower, Passion Fruit, and Lemon.

• Rosado (Rosé) Sangria: Garnacha Rosé Wine, Cruzan Mango Rum, SKYY Infusions Citrus Vodka, and Desert Pear

• Tinto (Red) Sangria: Garnacha Wine, Torres Magdala Naranjas del Mediterráneo, and Orange.

 

Next, they will turn you loose to create a custom drink infused with your own preferences.  And that’s where the fun really begins.  You’ll choose the wine and liquors you would like to add to your personal sangria, and in addition to the provided (free) choices, you’ll have an opportunity to include other premium liquors, starting at $5.00. You’ll add a few fruit embellishments, too. You can design your drink at your leisure, adding and enhancing as you see fit.

 

My husband and I both started with Rosé wine, but while I added an included apricot brandy, he opted to scale up to vanilla vodka and mango rum for the small additional charge.  It was nice, but still lacking a little something, so he added the provided strawberry puree and fresh strawberries, and declared it a lovely, sweet summertime libation.  I started with just my Rosé and apricot brandy, and added a bit of fruit, a little at a time. And with each addition, the drink became a completely different flavor.  

The oranges went in first. The drink had a very strong citrusy scent, and it was still light without being overly sweet.  Next went in the raspberries, which made the drink prettier, but didn’t change the flavor at all.  There was a shot glass of lemonade among the supplies on the table, so we thought, “Why not?”  and added the lemonade. It brightened the glass, and we thought it was a good selection, and a drink we’d enjoy making again.  The lemonade mellowed the citrus out a bit.  About halfway through the glass, though, we decided to add the strawberry puree, and the drink really came together, with a completely different taste yet again.  This time is was fruity and sweeter, and a perfect summer afternoon treat.  We liked the final iteration of the drink, and decided to stop there.

 

At the end of the session, after you’ve created and sampled your own special drink, you’ll receive your “Certificate of Mastery” declaring you a “Sangria Sommelier,” plus a few printed sangria flight recipes to take home. Go ahead and frame your certificate if you’d like, and see how many people pick it out amongst the other diplomas on the wall!

 

Sangria University is a popular event, and is offered at Coronado Springs on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m., and books up quickly. We were able to reserve our spots about six weeks out from our class. You pay for your seat in advance, and can register on the My Disney Experience app, or on the Disney website on the Enchanting Extras reservations page.

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.